Corn popper



S. NELSON CORN POPPER April 28, 1931.

Filed April 1. 1929; 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 gran/"tou- SZ/CZJZ jVZs'on amas- April 28, 1931. w s. NELSON 1,803,204

CORN POPPER Filed April 1, 1 29 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Swan VZs oz? gmwtoz abhor/wags.

Patented Apr. 28, 1931 fumrsc STATES SWAN NELSON, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS I 001m rorrnn Application filed April -1, 1929. Serial No. 351,749.

invention relates to corn popping machines, and more particularly to those which are on display in stores, windows .or on stands and wagons and my main ob ect s to- 6 produce a machine of this kind which operates with a minimum of parts.

A further object of the invention is to so design the machine that it occupies but a small portion of the space within the display case usually housing machines of this kind.

A still further object of the invention is to provide an automatic action for the agitation of the corn kernels which is closely'associated with the oven in which the popping is done, confining the heat to the region of the oven.

Another object of the invention is to so design the agitating action and the oven that the latter may be heated with facility, by-

electricity. a

A significant object of the invention is to construct the novel machine with a simple and eflic-ient kernel feed, which requires no manual attention-for its action.

A final but nevertheless important object of the invention is to build thenovel machine along lines of ready access and evident simplicity, in order that it may functionefiiciently for long periods. 7

With the above. objects in view and any others that may suggest themselves from the specification and claims to follow, a better understanding of the invention may be had by reference to the accompanying drawings,

in which Figure l is a vertical section of the display case and the'machine within it, some partsbeing shown in elevation and others 0 broken away;

Figs. 2, 3 and 4 are sections on the lines 2-2, 3-3, and 1-4: of Figure l; and

Fig. 5 is a detailsection taken on the line 55 of Figure 3.

5 Machines of the character mentioned are usually glass enclosed, the product piling up in a glass case, such as is shown at 10, For purposes of clearness, the machine as illustrated in Figure 1 occupies the greater portion of the case 10, but in reality the maetc.

chine will be disposed in the upper part of the case, leaving the larger portion thereof for the accumulation of the popped corn and the disposal of accessories and possible other confections, such as peanuts, popcorn balls,

The main portion of the machine consists of an elongated oven 11, having a flat top 11a and a'trough-shaped bottom 11?). The cross section of the oven is generally semicircular so that its ends may receive at the top a shaft 12, carryinga sweep arm 13 which travels over the bottom of the oven back and forth as the shaft is rocked. The oven is preferably supported-in the top of the case by a set of rods 10a. My intention is that a measured quantity of corn kernels be dropped into the oven, the charge then being agitated by the action of the sweep arm 13 until popped, at which time it is discharged. WVhile the oven may be heated by any means for this purpose, I-prefer for compactness and safetythe use of an electrical heating element 14, suitably encased by an oven jacket 15. I

The roof of the oven receives a vent pipe 16 which rises through the top of the case '10. At one side, the oven bottom has a sep arate portion 110 which is hinged at the top as indicated at 1102 to swing outwardly from the ovenas shown by dotted lines in Figure 3; Thisaction opens the aifectedside of the oven, permitting the discharge of its contents into a scoop extension '17 of the portion 110. The popped corn filling the scoop 17 in its departed position, indicated by the dotted lines in Figure 3, falls directly out of the scoop and down into the case.

size and heavy gather enough momentum when coursing down the scoop to leap across into the mouth 18a of a discharge funnel 18, which as indicatedin Figure 1, tapersto exj tend downwardly with ;.a* waste pipe 19;

Un popped kernels, however, being of smaller ried by the oven shaft 12, it is evidentthe sweep arm 13 receives a constant oscillating motion across the floor of the oven. The sweep arm is carried by radius rods 120; 8X- tending from the shaft, and is generally made of triangular section as indicated in Figure 3,

so that on its sweep toward the discharge portion 110 it will present a front and push the oven contents ahead of it, while on the way back it will under the contents so as not to or wd them in the remote portion of the oven.

The sweep arm ,13 is made of full rectangular section as indicated at 13a in Figures 3 and 4 at the points where it is met by the radius rods 1264, that the latter may be screwed into the full portion of the sweep arm to firmly connect with the same.

The machine is timed to open the discharge portion 110 of the oven periodically, the drive being taken from the jack shaft 23. Accordingly, the latter carries a bevel gear 28 at one end to make connection with a companion gear 29 carried by a vertical shaft 30. This shaft descends to a position inside the corresponding end of the oven jacket 15, as more clearly shown in Figure 3; carrying a worm pinion 31 thereat. The worm pinion makes a meshing connection with the periphery of a worm gear 32 rotatably mounted in a bearing 33 and independently of the shaft 12 which is also carried by said hearing. The gear 32 carries a wing cam 34 which as the gear turns in a counter-clockwise direction strikes a lateral bend of an arm 35 extended inwardly from the oven discharge portion 110 over one end of the oven. the portion 110 outwardly, as indicated by dotted lines for the proper period during which the contents of the oven are-to be discharged, after which-the swing cam 34 having cleareda spring 36 on the end of the oven drawsthe discharge portion 11-0 shut. Thus, the latter is normally closed, and is not affected by any running gear during the time of popping; and the action to open the portion is a simpleone. j

The corn kernels are usually'stored in a glass container 37 whose bottom opens into a hopper 38 at the top of the case 10. The hopper converges to open into a measuring shaft 39 below which is a hopper 40 which opens directly into theoven 11. V

The discharge opening in the hopper 38-is controlled by a stopper 41, which is hung on travels This action guides the inner end of an arm 42 fulcrume'd at 43 in the wall of the hopper and extending to become linked at 44 to a depending lever 45. WVhen the lever 45 is given a downward pull the stopper 41 is made to rise, permitting the kernel corn to-sweep down into the shaft 39. The latter has a bottom lid 39a hinged to the shaft at 395 and automatically closed as will later be explained. Thus, the shaft 39 becomes filled and remains so until it is time to discharge its contents into the lower hop per 40.

The" control for the depending lever 45 is simply a round stud 46 on the inner face of the gear 32. The bottom of the lever 45 is linked as indicated at 45a to oneend of'an arm 47, the opposite endthereof being pivoted at48 to the corresponding-end of the oven. As seen in Figure 4,.when the gear 32 in a counter-clockwise whereby to bring the stud 46 in a downward course, the arm 47 so placed as to be crowded .to a limited de ree b the stud as it aasses e 5 l a this drawing downwardly upon the leverj45 andcausing the stopper 41 to be lifted as previously explained. actuated this operation the lever 45 will be caused to automatically rise to its normal 1 position by the stopper 41, which is weighted to accomplish this.

Referring to Figure 4, it will be seenthat the bottom lid 39a of the shaft 39 has a radial extension 49 from-its hinge 39?), which according to Figure 1 has a lateral arm 50' ordinarily. drawn in an upward direction by a spring 51 leading to the top of the ca se,this having the effect of normallykeeping the lid. 3900 closed. The extension49 however, receives a downwardly directed rod 52 which passes down into the oven jacket by way of a bearing 53 and terminates with a bend 54 which is parallel and in proximity to the gear 32. The said bend is also in the path of the gear stud 46, and when the latter travels as indicated in Figure 4, the effect is that the rod 52 is drawn downwardly againstthetension of the spring 51 to open the lid39a and discharge the contents in the shaft 39 into the hopper 40-for delivery into the oven.

It will be observed that the gear stud 46 direction I After the stud 46 has first actuates the rod 52, causing. the discharge just mentioned. f Then, the stud actuates the lever 45 for the refilling of the shaft 39 as'the lid 39a is drawn shut when, the stud'46 clears the bend 54 of the rod 52. According to Figure 4, it is evident that'the two operations just described occur'in close succession, after which the gear 32 travels a comparatively long time before again reaching the partsaifected. If a filling has been lmparted to. the oven, suflic1ent time for'the popping operatlon must ensue before a new filling isimparted so that the gear 32 is necessarily driven at a very slow rate.

The interim between the discharge action of the lid 39a and the opening of the stopper 41 is of significance. As the shaft 39 empties, the inference would be that the stopper 41 being cleared from below by the falling kernels 5 would yield in an upward direction from the kernels surrounding it to let these escape down into the shaft 39 and thus feed an overdose of corn to the oven. This does not occur, however, since the kernels in the hopper 0 38 exert a crowding action upon the upper part of the stopper 41, which is incidentally conical, whereby to jam the surrounding kernels and cut off their passage; The action of the hopper 38 isthus at a standstill until 5 the lid 39a has swung shut and the lever 45 been pulled down to lift the stopper 4:1 to a suflicient degree to permit the passage of the kernels.

It will be seen that in the novel machine 0 the sweep arm 13 is driven by a positive and simple power connection, and that the elements dealing with the feed of the corn are also simple, readily accessible and of a rugged nature, rendering the construction of the 5 machine relatively inexpensive and the operation of the same eflicient and not liable to attention for long periods.

I claim l. A cornpopper comprising a trough-like O oven of part-circular cross-section, a shaft in the top of the oven and adapted to receive a rocking movement, and a sweep arm carried by the shaft for motion across the floor of the trough, a door carried'by the oven,

5 said sweep arm adapted to periodically discharge the contents of the oven through the door.

2. A corn popper comprising a trough-like oven of part-circular cross-section, a shaft in the top of the oven and adapted to receive a rocking movement, and a sweep arm carried by the shaft for oscillatory motion across the iioor of the trough, a door hingedly carried by the oven, said sweep arm adapted to pcriodically discharge the contents of the oven through the door.

3. A corn popper comprising a trough-like oven of part-circular cross-section, a shaft in the top of the oven and adapted to receive a 0 rocking movement, and a sweep arm carried by the shaft for motion across the floor of the trough, said sweep arm-presenting a front substantially perpendicular to said floor in one direction of its movement, and tapering 5 1 in the opposite direction to meet the flooi of the trough.

l. A corn popper comprising an oven formed with an outlet, a gate opening from the latter for the expulsion of popcorn andunpopped kernels, and means beyond the gate inducing the discharge of the popcorn in one direction and the unpopped kernels in another direction.

the latter for the expulsion of popcorn and unpopped kernels, and a chute leading from the gate and scoop-shaped to induce momentum in the relatively heavy unpopped kernels for dischargeas projectiles.

6. A corn. popper comprising an oven formed with an outlet, a gate opening from the latter for the expulsionof popcorn and unpopped kernels, a chute leading from the gate and scoop-shaped to induce momentum in the relatively heavy unpopped kernels for discharge as projectiles, and a receiver opfor clearance by the relatively light popcorn in rolling off and dropping from the chute.

8. A corn popper comprising an oven formed with anoutlet, a gate for the latter and normally closed, oscillatory means to agitate the oven charge to and from the outlet at a rapid rate, a slow-rate gearing, and a cam carried by the latter to induce the opening ofthe gate at predetermined intervals with the effect of the expulsion of the charge by the oscillatory means.

9. A corn popper comprising an oven formed with an outlet, a gate for the latter and normally closed, oscillatory means to agitate the oven charge to and from the outlet at a' rapid rate, a slow-rate gearing, an arm carried by the gate, and a cam in said gearing to crowd said armand. induce the u.

opening of the gate at predetermined intervals with the effect of the expulsion of the charge by the oscillatory means.

10. A corn popper comprising an oven having an inlet, a discharge gate for the oven,

a power element, ajconnection from the latter to operate the gate at predetermined intervals, a feed vessel opposite the inlet for the supply of the oven, a discharge valve for the vessel, a measure communicating with the vessel by way of the discharge valve and leading to the oven inlet, a valve between the measure and the latter, levers operatingthe respective valves, and a cam moved'by the power element and effective upon the levers in timed relation with the gate.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature.

' SWAN NELSON.

F 5. A corn popper comprising an oven 7 a formed with an outlet, a gate opening from 

